Caesar denies the crown but really wants it. Cassius kisses up to Brutus but really wants him to carry out the plans of the conspiracy. Antony becomes just as power-hungry as his predecessors. With all the secret motives it becomes unclear what the truth really is. But one "thing" is clear: Shakespeare wrote the play for a reason.
As writers the craft of story-telling takes the main stage and does more than entertain, pass the time or count as homework assignments and blog responses. A literary work serves a more important purpose: to teach. Experiences whether real or imagined are shared and reflections on people and society are made to connect with and enlighten an audience.
What was the main theme of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar? What are readers supposed to gain or take away with them after reading this piece of historical fiction? Identify what you think is the most important lesson or are the most important lessons. What does this play teach us through the characters, their decisions and outcomes? In essence, who cares about Julius Caesar?
24 comments:
The main theme of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was that it is almost impossible to trust anyone. As you said, it seemed that every character in the play has a hidden agenda. In the beginning of the play, Cassius convinces Brutus to join the conspiracy by saying that Caesar is unworthy of all of his power. Brutus joins the conspiracy with the belief that Cassius' intention is to help the Roman Republic. However, Cassius is actually forming the conspiracy to get back at Caesar for humiliating him. Antony supposedly reads Caesar's will to the public but later tells Lepidus to go get the will from Caesar's home. Then, while Lepidus is gone, he proposes getting rid of Lepidus to Octavius so they don't have to share the empire three ways. Then we have the most important deception. Caesar considered Brutus a son and Brutus was the leader of the conspiracy.
Although the characters consistently lie to each, I believe that they are the most dishonest with themselves. Each character convinces himself that what he is doing is just. In the beginning of the play, Brutus is extremely conflicted between doing what he thinks is for the better of Rome and his love for Caesar. As time goes on he becomes more confident about his decision, up until the end when he feels extremely guilty. Antony does the same thing. During his speech he convinces the people of Rome that he only wants to avenge his best friend's death and he half-heartedly believes this but later we see he is only involved for power.
The most important lesson is that honesty is the best policy. This lesson isn't as obvious as it is in many children's novels but it is at the heart of the story. The lesson does not necessarily preach to be honest with everyone else but it does teach that you should be honest with yourself. The most important aspect of loyalty within yourself is respecting your morals. Either these "honorable" are actually not as honorable as they were supposed to be or they were not being honest with themselves and respecting their values.
In essence I think that Brututs is the only person who cares about Julius Caesar. He is the only character who feels guilty about killing him and eventually hates himself for his decision. Antony only saw Caesar's assassination as a chance for him to gain power and wealth. The Roman people may have appeared to care about Caesar but they cheered for Pompey, then Caesar, then Brutus, and then Antony, showing that they only care about whoever is infront of them preaching what they want to hear.
rugbynbailey@aol.com
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar has the theme of trust, betrayal and revenge; along with the ongoing cycle of violence. No one in the play can be trusted; Cassius simply want to use Brutus so that the conspiracy could gain more members and respect. Brutus poured so much trust into those who simply used him (Cassius) or betrayed him (Antony) and yet he couldn’t even trust his own wife Portia after she stabs her own leg to show her loyalty. It is ironic that he did not want an oath for the conspiracy. Antony seemed to be coming after the conspirators for a noble cause and yet he and Octavis plan to pick off Lepidus and split Rome to them selves. Antony is so power hungry, how do we know he will not try and Kill Octavis to have Rome to self. “Have greedy heart, lose greedy head” That is a Chinese quote.
We must learn trust is an illusion that can easily be broken by one actions. You think that some one is your best friend and will stick with out with you during your problems to the very end. Until they run away with your car keys with the flat screen TV in the back and leave you to get mugged.
Through the characters action in the play were also learn that violence beget more violence. The civil war that just ended between Caesar and Pompey now begins a new one after Caesar is killed between Antony and Octavis vs. Brutus and Cassius. The negativity that thickens the air (lack of trust, fear, lost hope and death of friends) can cause suicide or permit people to kill others. Portia swallows burning hot coals because she could not earn her husbands trust. Caesar is killed in fear for his power was too great. Cassius allows his servant to stab him for he has lost all hope in winning the war.
Julius Caesar was just to keep the plot going and to spark up the events that would surround the theme; he does play a part in the lesson. But around the end of act IV through V Caesar is almost irreverent to the plot.
In the play Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare it shows a lot of betrayal. It does seem as if no one can trust anyone, that no one cared for Caesar. I agree with Rachel Cooper's idea that Brutus did care for Caesar, but this was only initially. At the beginning of the play Brutus cared greatly for Caesar. Brutus spends great thought thinking about how he should act because he cares. Unfortunately Cassius gets to talk to Brutus and persuades Brutus that he must help Cassius kill Caesar. Cassius achieves Brutus' support by saying that Rome needs Brutus' help. Cassius effectively exposes Brutus to a political life in which he must protect the Roman People. This political connection eventually leads to the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Politics is one of the greatest tools of corruption. As the play progresses Brutus changes little by little due to politics. After being exposed to politics Brutus does not see Caesar as a personal friend, but as a person in the way of the people. Caesar is seen as a person in the way of the society and its political ideas it is currently based on. Similarly, Brutus sees Cassius not as a friendly general, but as a potentially hostile. So Brutus has fellow soldiers sleep in his tent to protect himself from a plausible assassination attempt by Cassius, but uses the situation to make Brutus look as though he cares about his soldiers.
The triumphvent of Antony, Lepidus, and Octavious is another fantastic of how politics corrupt politicians. Antony asks Lepidus to join his side, but this is only for his influence and the soldiers Lepidus can rally. Antony wants the most control of roman territories that he can get and uses all the political advantages he can get. Lepidus is promised great politcal influence through this triumphvent and is willing to do anything to get it. Lepidus agrees instantly to have his own nephew killed when there was little to no proof that he was a conspirator. Octavius knows Antony plans to betray Lepidus, but does not say anything. Octavius knows that there must be cooperation between the three of them to destroy Brutus' and Cassius' forces. Octavius needs his political position of influence in the empire to get some where because that is what counts to him. Octavius needs to get to the prize, but it does not matter how he gets to the prize.
Email: nicocoup@msn.com
The theme ofthe Tragedy Julius Caesar was trust. The whole story line of this play revolves around trust. In every scene there is an issue in which someone must trust someone else or themself. Trust played a vital role in this play, and ultimately caused all the disaster. When you finish reading Julius Caesar I feel Shakesphere's intent was to have people understand that you can't just trus anything someone tells you. For example as Rachel stated Antony tells the Plebians he is has Caesar's will, and will reads to them, but later tha day he asks Lepidus to go to Caesar's houe, and fetch the speech. Of course the plebians believe the speech story, and are ready to kill the conspirators.
One of the most important lessons I feel was learned in this play was loyalty. I belive that ties in with them all trusting each other. In general the characters show loyalty for their friends and spouses. For instance when Antony avenges Caesar's death by trying to kill the conspirators he is showing loyalty. This play teaches us that we can't always trust whatever someone says, because alot of people have hidden agendas that you don't know about. Also you can't always trust yourself, because sometimes you have yourself doing crazy things. For instance Brutus trusted in himself that he should kill Caesar, but in the end regreted it, and ultimately ended up killing himself over it. I feel Julius Caesar was written to teach us the danger of trust and loyalty between people, because it may become your downfall.
The main idea of this play was to show to the world in Shakespeares eyes that everyone should always watch your back. They should always believe that they cant trust that many people and even the people you can trust sometimes will stab you in the back in this case literally stab you. All of the roman republic wondered why Brutus joined the conspiracy being one of the closest "friends" Caesar has and yet he can not trust him either. Cassius decides to commit suicide beacuse he felt dishonorable after sending Tribonius to his "death". Brutus commits suicide because Cassius did it. All of these tragedies happened after the dishonosty broke out in the begininng.
The Tragedy of Julius Caesar is meant to explore human nature, especially human error. While Shakespeare doesn’t glorify foibles, the playwright doesn’t dismiss human shortcomings either. The play is filled with erroneous happenings: Brutus’ misinterpretations of the conspirators’ motives, Caesar’s hubris, Antony’s phoniness, and women’s second rate status. Deception, honor, pride, patriotism, trust friendship, weakness, and hidden agendas are among the themes examined in the play. In this way, the prominent characters are connected to everyday people’s thoughts and emotions. For example, Brutus struggles with inner conflict at the beginning of the play, just as the Plebes endeavor to discern the truth about the conspiracy.
Another common thread apparent in the play is death, both by murder and by suicide. In the real world, homicide is part of everyday life; more than 190,000 people were murdered worldwide in 2010 alone! Shakespeare excels at selecting deaths suitable to the character’s lot. As with most major rulers, there often is an assassination plot in place, and Caesar falls prey to the stabbing. Portia is an erratic character who is overly dependent on her husband; she is loyal to a fault and masochistically stabs her thigh to show her dedication. Later, she elects to swallow coals, perhaps feeling guilty for opening her mouth; now it is shut for good! Both Cassius and Brutus have insecurities about themselves; Cassius tries to put up a brave front, but cowers in fear as he sends Titinius to his death. Brutus is a stoic character, afraid to exhibit outward emotion. The two conspirators end their lives by their own hands, as if showing they are finally courageous enough to kill themselves.
What I take away from this play as the theme is to “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” Perhaps if Julius Caesar spied Cassius and his group, he would have known about the assassination attempt, or would have suspected that something was not right. In actuality, people in power should trust nobody. It is true that someone is always watching out of protectiveness, jealously, admiration, or curiosity. Regardless, it is important to be savvy about your surroundings, which includes being in control of your every move and how your actions impact others.
It can be said that Julius Caesar is among the greatest Roman leaders of all time. Very few individuals can fully explain why, for most people do to take the time to learn about Caesar. In this day and age, only historians, researchers, and scientists take advantage of the opportunity to analyze Caesar and Rome. I believe that people who aspire to be leaders should care about Julius Caesar, for they can learn much from the play about ambition and human nature (beliefs, loyalties, tactics, errors, and relationships).
Since one of the most important lessons is that “honesty is the best policy,” I completely agree with Rachel’s thoughts about honesty in that the play encourages individuals to be truthful with themselves. She says that “The most important aspect of loyalty within yourself is respecting your morals. Either these "honorable" people are actually not as honorable as they were supposed to be or they were not being honest with themselves and respecting their values.” Thus, the individual who demonstrates the most personal and public integrity is Brutus, which is why he alone is praised at the play’s conclusion.
e.e.butler@comcast.net
In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the main theme was based on trust. Like the title of the blog says, "Hidden Agendas Revealed". No one in the play had the good intentions besides Brutus. Like Rachel Cooper already explains all of the betrayals. The worse is Brutus being involved in the conspiracy against Caesar. In the play Brutus is seen as a friend, while in the documentary we recently viewed, Brutus is seen as a son Caesar never had. All of the conspirators are only after the power involved in the murder of Caesar. Not only did the conspirators want power, but so did Antony, Caesar's close friend. Antony portrays himself to be genuinely sad about the death of Caesar, but in reality he is also trying to get his hands on the power Caesar is leaving behind. Brutus joined the conspiracy thinking all the rest of the conspirators were after the same thing; for the better of the Romans. This was not the case after all.
Brutus is genuinely the only one that cares about Julius Caesar's death. He begins to see that everyone else is only after the power. His regret is shown through the sights of Caesar's ghost. Whether the ghost apparition was really happening or whether it was just in his head, it shows that he is thinking about Caesar. Also in the play Brutus says, "Caesar, now be still:
I kill'd not thee with half so good a will". This quote shows that he is regreting killing Caesar because he did not do it for all the good reasons. Not only do I think he is a man to be trusted, but so does Antony. Once Brutus kills himself, Antony calls him an honorable man. This time, Antony truly means what he is saying. Antony sees that Brutus stuck by his word from the beginning to the end. This is the only indivisual that is fully trustworthy all throughout the play.
ecanancy@hotmail.com
Like Lizzy said, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar ilustrates huamn nature and more specifically, human errors. As the conspirators' plot unfolds in Rome, they have made obvious mistakes due to ignorance and not thinking out their plan. This enterprise is based solely on impulse to get rid of Caesar because of Cassius' "hunger" lurking within him causing him to hatch this scheme.
Most of the conspirators were close to Caesar like Brutus is or at least know him more than the Roman plebians. Caesar's acquaintances and collegaues are the ones to devise the conspiracy against him. So, one of the main lessons of this play is not to trust everyone that you know. Don't expect everyone that you meet once or twice to have the best intentions. Caesar says himself that he doesn't want to be surrounded by people who have a 'hungry' look lurking in their eyes. By this he means he doesn't want to be around people who are always kinieving and scheming evil like Cassius, but instead men who can actually sleep at night. When Caesar says this, he illustrates this very point: not everyone around you can be trusted.
Another important lesson that this Shakespearean play depicts is dishonesty and betrayal versus morals and loyalty.When Brutus joins the conspiracy it illustrates complete betrayal against a good friend. This shows that a very close friend can betray one at any time. Also, like Rachel said, all the conspirators are constantly lying to each other. Cassius especially lies to the conspirators and Brutus about his genuine plans and the reason behind the conspiracy. Once he manipulates Brutus into believeing that killing Caesar is a noble and honorable cause, all the conspirators fall into that lie. Cassius betrays the conspirators' trust by ommiting his true intentions with murdering Caesar and betrays Brutus by being a fake friend. On the other side there is Antony who is very loyal to Caesar. He avenges Caesar's death and does his best to achieve what he believes is justice for his friend. He was probably the only that truly cares about Caesar before after Caesar's death. After Caesar's death though, Antony becomes filled with greed for power and money. He betrays the triumverate that he is part of though. He only uses Lepidus and then decides to get rid of him so he doesn't have to share the money and the power he would recieve. Antony is also dishonest to the Romans. At Caesar's funeral, he pretends to read Caesar's will which supposedly gives money and land to the Romans.
Basically, this play teaches the reader a few life lessons that are essential especially in politics, like Julius Caesar. One can't trust everyone and most evident in politics, not everyone that you meet has the best intentions or has the proper morals in life. So, unlike Julius Caesar was druing his life, you should always be careful who you trust and be aware of what's going on around you.
kristie.varghese@gmail.com
In the play entitled, Tragedy of Julius Caesar, written by William Shakespeare, there are many hidden agendas that seep out as the story line continues. Caesar denies the crown three times but wants to be dictator at heart; Cassius becomes a sycophant just so Brutus can carry out the conspiracy; Antony becomes just as power-hungry as Caesar- who did what was “good” for Rome. In the play, the readers are always left wondering about the twists. The readers are always thinking about the purpose behind each character’s actions and how he may feel.
Although the motives of each character changes, the author’s message, being William Shakespeare, stays the same. While reading the play, the motif of it all comes together. There are many themes in the play but the two most important ones are: think about an action before actually doing it and be careful when calling someone a friend. These two themes are basically repeated in every page of the play but just in different words.
The first theme of the play which is: to think about an action before actually doing it applies to both Brutus and Cassius. Brutus decides to play the role of the leader in Cassius’ plan to kill Caesar. He believes that just because he is doing it for the “good” of Rome that there will be no discrepancies. However, he is very wrong! He does NOT take into consideration that many of the plebeians are die-hard Caesar supporters and that the number one supporter – Antony – will use his death to his own advantage. This theme applies to Cassius because it shows how much time, thought, and effort he put into the conspiracy. He picks out Brutus to be the head of it because of his popularity with the Roman people. He suggests brilliant ideas that would have prevented the civil war that would occur later on in the play. Most of all, he thinks of military schemes to help them beat Antony and their regime in the brutal civil war.
The second theme of the play which is: to be careful when calling someone a friend applies to Caesar, Brutus, and Lepidus. Caesar - who thinks that everyone is at awe when he comes around – believes that both Brutus and Antony are his most loyal friends. He is shock when he finds out that Brutus is involved in the conspiracy. He even says, “Et tu Brute?” – The most famous line of the play. Caesar believes that anyone who kisses his ass is his best friend and that basically causes his fall. The lesson can also be applied to Brutus and Lepidus. Both characters believe that because they are in a “group” or an “association” that all the people there share the same motives. Brutus believes that Cassius actually gives a damn about the city of Roman and its people. He believes Cassius so much that he eagerly joins the conspiracy to kill Caesar. On the other hand, Lepidus believes that because Octavius and Antony also give two flying squirrels about him. Because Lepidus is “ready to kill his brother for the cause”, he believes that everyone else is. In fact, Antony and Lepidus are only using him for his connections.
All in all, the play is about trust – all kinds of trust; trust in oneself (like Rachel Cooper said) and trust in others (like Charlotte Miller said). The purpose of the play is to warn people about the evilness of humans – to warn people about jealousy, greed, deceit, betrayal and most of all – hate.
Rachel Cooper states that the overall essential theme of the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar written by William Shakespeare is trust. I agree with Rachel’s statement because after reading the play it shows a whole new perspective on the world. It shows the reader how some people should not be trusted and to look closely at his or her surroundings. Brutus trusts the conspirators so much he believes they should not sware on oath because they are all honorable men. He is a strong idealist who truly believes killing Caesar is for the good of Rome. Brutus makes the mistake of trusting the conspirators because the reasoning behind the plan is for personal greed. Along with the conspirators Antony is untrustworthy. He lies to the plebeians saying Caesar has left them land and money but in reality Caesar has left them nothing. Antony becomes power hungry after Caesar’s death when he tries to remove Lepidus from the triumph. Therefore, Antony has shown his true colors.
Seeing how many characters are untrustworthy and their decision making teaches the reader to think twice before taking action. Shakespeare wants the reader to learn to think twice about who is a true friend and who is trustworthy. Not only think twice when it comes to trust but think twice when it comes to decisions. Brutus makes many poor decisions in trusting the conspirators and allowing Antony to speak. His poor decision making eventually leaves him in an inescapable position. The reader is suppose to gain the true meaning of a friend and to always watch his or her backs because her or she never knows when it might get stabbed. At first the reader begins to question what is the point of reading Julius Caesar, but now the answer is simply to learn a life lesson.
biancasanabria13@hotmail.com
The theme of Julius Caesar the play is power. It is as simple as that, the way some of the characters misuse their power, whilst other characters have too much power. “With great power comes great responsibility,” Franklin D. Roosevelt, this quote is relevant because Caesar had great power, but he did not have much responsibility. Caesar had great power though battle and his political campaign. He was both popular and smart, which gave him the most power at the time. His lack of responsibility was caused by his excessive pride. Death, is the strongest thing in the world, nothing can stop it, not even the great Caesar. So as he was stabbed, his power was drained out of him. His lack of responsibility, and excessive pride won him over; it corrupted him. Power and ambition corrupted the great Julius Caesar, to becoming a tyrant, and making his best friend Brutus one of the many men who plunged him with a dagger.
Readers are supposed to take away a few but important concepts from this tragedy. The first and most important is to never let power or ambition win you over. If you are not in control of yourself, then who or what is? When ambition is the controller, then your ending would be similar to Caesars. Also, another concept that a reader is supposed to take away from this is to be careful who you trust. Just like how Tiffany and many other students said the main theme was, trust is a main concept. There were many instances where many of the characters could not trust other characters, let alone themselves.
The most important lesson is the fact that Caesar died. He died because of his ambition. He thought he was invincible, ignoring the soothsayer. He cared about his image as he ignored his wife and went to the capitol. Just like how Elizabeth said that there were two types of deaths in the play, murder and suicide. Many people are murdered each year. In the play there were 4 deaths by suicide. Each for their own reasons. This is why you should care about Julius Caesar; it shows us how ambition takes over someone’s life and eventually kills them.
joepedo@ymail.com
Everything is done for a reason. In Shakespeare's play, the position of power in Rome changes many times. Like Joe said, the theme of this play is power. Power is something that everyone seeks. Lack of power can cause people to do extreme things in order to gain power. Pompey is in power first. After he dies, Caesar takes his place. A conspiracy is made between politicians who do not like Caesar's position of power. These leads to Caesar being assassinated. Antony then takes power along with Octavius. Each change in power was caused by a death. There is no other reason why these deaths were necessary if the people had not been in power. If Caesar was a normal plebeian, no one would care about his life.
This play teaches that too much power can be bad. Caesar was very ambitious historically. He did things such as giving his daughter in marriage to Pompey and joining the triumvirate. Both of these things were for him to take his position as a consul in the future. Caesar taking all this power scared other people. They acted out by killing him.
No one in the play truly cared for Caesar. The conspirators killed Caesar. The Plebeians are happy Caesar is dead and then mourn him after hearing Antony's speech. Antony mourns Caesar and turns everyone against the conspirators but is ready to take Caesars position.
Like Charlotte said, the main themes of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar contain trust, betrayal, and revenge. Throughout the entire play, there is a loss of trust. For example, there is a loss of trust between Julius Caesar and Brutus. Caesar thought that they were friends but Brutus is actually going against him. This leads to the sense of betrayal. After Brutus and the conspirators kill Julius Caesar, there is that sense of revenge coming from Mark Antony. At Caesar's funeral, Antony is sneaky and includes a few of his own techniques in his speech to put revenge on Brutus because of what he has done.
Personally, I think that readers are suppose to take away from Shakespeare's writing to be careful who you trust. There are some people that are actually trustworthy. Not everyone is actually there for you, some just are nosy and want to get into your business. Agreeing with Joe, the most important part is Julius Caesar dying. He is murdered because he was too ambitious. All he cared was about himself and he was arrogant too. The play itself teaches readers to not be overly confident with yourself. Don't be so cocky. If anything, prove it. Caesar didn't prove anything to the Romans that he was better. If anyone has, it was Brutus. Brutus did everything that he could for the best of Rome.
The theme of the play is that everything happens for a reason. Each death, secret, and word was uttered for a reason. I think that the reader is supposed to take away the conception that each little thing that you say, do, or even think of will carry out and cause a bigger problem or even in the future. Just like when killing Caesar was merely an idea, it became a huge scene at the Capitol. Another important lesson can be to be careful with who you trust. If Portia was a blabber mouth and told other people in the town about the Conspiracy's idea of killing Caesar, the entire plan would have been soiled. Also Cassius is not a loyal friend and got Brutus to turn against Caesar, so Brutus should have never trusted him.
I agree with Bianca when she says that every character is untrustworthy in some way, so they should think before they act. If Caesar would have just listened to the Soothsayer and not gone to the Capitol, he would have lived. Also if Portia would have just asked what was going on with Brutus instead of imagining the pain he was in, she would not have needed to go to the drastic measures of stabbing herself in the led and swallowing hot coals to kill herself. Each character is thinking about his or herself before they act. The only people that care about Caesar are the Soothsayer, Calpurnia, and Artemidorous. Each of them warn Caesar that he is about to run into his own demise and to not leave the castle.
syd1194@aol.com
Like many of the previous responses, I believe that the main theme of the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare is trust, or rather lack of trust. I do not believe the lesson to be learned by reading this play is a virtuous one, but it is for sure an important one. I think what Shakespeare was trying to show by writing this tragedy is that it is a dog-eat-dog world out there, and trust and honor do not get you very far. Everyone wants fame, fortune, and power. Many people will stop at nothing to get them, even if it means stabbing your friends and family in the back. Shakespeare is warning his audience to be weary of the lies and schemes that people use to get what they desire. Everything is not as it seems. Basically, I think Shakespeare is saying that you either have to hunt or be hunted. Almost everyone who dies in the play was in some way deceived. Pompey thought Caesar was his ally. Caesar thought the conspirators were his friends. Brutus thought Antony would do no harm. You would be a fool not to care about Julius Caesar for it gives a very important message: always watch your back, because there will always be someone waiting to stab it.
I agree with Rachel and Charlotte when they say the biggest lesson learned in this story is that nobody can be trusted. I think the main lesson learned is that no matter how friendly someone may seem, they cannot be trusted. It is not unusual for someone close to you to turn on you in a heartbeat. This is the most important lesson because in life we will all meet people that we can’t trust and we will need to distinguish those who are trustworthy and those who aren’t. In the play not one single character can be deemed trustworthy based on traitorous actions especially towards Caesar. In the end, nobody cares about Julius Caesar. Antony and Brutus both turn their backs on him just like all the other conspirators. They forgot about their beloved friend and only saw him as a vile tyrant planning on ruling the world. They lost so much trust they no longer saw him as a friend, but almost as a forgotten enemy.
I think that in Julius Caesar, the main theme would have to be trust, and along with trust always comes betrayal, and honesty. No one seemed they could fully be trusted, or that they could trust anyone else either. I agree with Rachel Cooper that Brutus did care a lot for Caesar, although I don’t agree with Nick when he says that this was only initially. Although in the beginning of the play, Brutus cared more for Caesar, he always did, he never did not care about Caesar. In the first scene of the play, he was having a crisis on whether to do what was best for Rome, or best for his friend, and Cassius helped change his mind.
Trust definitely plays a huge role in this play. Brutus trusts the conspirators that they are killing Caesar for good reasons, and he does the same when trusting them not to make an oath. Also when Brutus lets Antony speak at the funeral, he trusts Antony, and leaves so he then cannot even defend himself, and his cause.
I think that after reading this historical fiction play, readers are supposed to gain understanding of what it was like then, the people and most of all the assassins. Why they killed Julius Caesar, and who were they really were. I think the most important lesson is never trust anyone to much, trust is a great thing, but never let it be the only thing you go by. If Brutus had just a little less trust in people he could have saved his cause more. I think that besides this being important history to understand and know, Shakespeare wants us to know the background, and the reality to it, that nothing is how it seems. That is another important lesson this plays teaches us.
raech629@verizon.net
Along with Tiffany I agree the entire theme of The Tragedy Of Julius Caesar was trust. Trust was the reason why Caesar was killed. Trust was the reason why the conspiracy broke down. There are endless amounts of examples of trust throughout the play which proved to me that it had to be the theme. After reading the entire play, readers should get the idea to basically trust no one. In Caesar's case his good friend Brutus was one of the men who ended up killing up. If you put trust into someone, you should be sure that they would never "stab you in the back" no pun intended.
The most important lessons taught throughout the play are to think long and hard about an action when its mishaps are life threatening. Such as in the conspirators case when they all ended up dieing after assassinating Caesar like they had all planned. This play teaches us all that every action or decision you take creates a certain outcome be it good or bad. Life is full of decision's yes we have our successful ones but there are also the decisions that kill us. After reading the entire play it opened my eyes up to what life is all about. Trust comes hard by many people in todays generation and this is just another reason why. People always let the ones they are closest to down.
In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, the main theme was circled around the trust. This play shows that trust is overrated and that someones trust is a priveledge that must be earned rather than a right that everyone has. I agree with Joe in the sense that another lesson is that one should not let power or ambition control all aspects of ones life. Yes, those are important things, but letting it consume ones whole life will only lead to nothing but destruction. That is why to much of anything is a bad thing. When it comes down to it power is how this whole thing started. Power and Jealously are the root of all the animosity Rome. The reader should learn that people are almost never who they seem and that trust is something that must be gained over time.
Throughout the continuing of the play more character seems to have hidden agendas. No one seems to care about friendship or love. This play in my opinion is a remake expressing the gruesome truth behind over indulgences and desperate desire for power. Mortals and values are some of the characteristics that which classifies humans being aside from other animals. However, they tend to be unappreciated and forgotten within politics. Along with those characteristics are the ability to withhold emotion, and thought process. Within the play of Julius Caesar the characters forget that which makes us human beings and digress into being that which savages to power are.
The overall theme of the play I believe would have to be the obsession with power only leads to one's downfall. I agree with many of the other response when they say the message is watch who you trust, but I think the bigger lesson to be learned is that over indulgencing power is a bad thing. Take for example all the countless people in the play such as Brutus, Cassius, and Caesar who fought for control over Roman. All these men share a big similarity: they all died. In essence I would say that know one truly cared about Julius Caesar. His old friend Brutus did not because friends do not kill other friends without having least factual evidence! Antony did not care about him as well. Though he may have been revolting because the conspirators killed Caesars future evidence such as his new alliance with Octavius and Lepidus suggest he himself has become power hungry and lost sight of his suppose of goal.
A main theme in Shakespeare's play, The tragedy of Julius Caesar, is how ambition and power can corrupt. Brutus is afraid that complete power may turn Caesar into a tyrant. He is concerned for the well being of his country. After assassinating Caesar, Brutus argues to the Romans that committed murder out of love for his country, and made them believe that if Caesar were still alive, they would all be slaves, whereas now that Caesar is dead, they can have freedom. His fear of Caesar's power is part of what leads him to betraying his good friend.
A lesson to be learned is to never assume. Cassius and Brutus assume that Caesar will become a tyrant. Cassius and Brutus assume that the Romans will be bondmen. Cassius and Brutus assume that Caesar will become too ambitious yet there is no proof or evidence. Many bloggers before me have said that the main issue is trust but I do not believe so. O agree with Joseph when he says the main issue is power. In the play, power has corrupted the minds of many characters rather than the issue of trust.
Jazzyjass@verizon.net
I agree with Rachel Cooper in that the main theme of Julius Caesar was that you cannot trust anyone. Throughout the story, almost every single character changes completely which we get to witness. For example, Brutus changes and goes against Caesar. Also, Antony becomes just as ambitious as Caesar and is into war with the conspirators. It shows that nobody in the play can be trusted. After reading this piece of historical fiction, the reader/s are supposed to learn the true meaning of betrayal, trust, and honor. Shakespeare was a very intelligent man and always has something to do with teaching his readers. I believe the most important lesson is to not be too trusting and gullible. You have to look out for yourself and make sure that the people you are close to can be trusted and won't harm you. Through the characters, this play teaches us that anyone can go crazy for power and that it is a bad thing to betray and stab your friends in the back. As we saw, everything turned out for the worst when the conspirators (Brutus) just wanted everything to turn out for the best. You have to think ahead in time and consider the outcome of the actions that you are about to take. I believe that Antony did care about Caesar but even more than Antony, Brutus cared about Caesar. However, the only person that cared for Caesar and never let anything get in the way of the love she had for Caesar was Calphurnia. She doesn't betray him, or try to rise in his seat of power. Instead, she cares for him and worries for him. Julius Caesar was betrayed by his best friend and it happens a lot to people today as well.
Grlzluvemplaya1@aim.com
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